Uber

Keith Prince: In the light of their recent £29,000 fine for two of their drivers driving without insurance whilst still within their probation period, will you now agree that UBER is not a fit and proper company to hold a TfL Licence, and accordingly instruct TfL not to renew their licence?

The Mayor: On 24 September, Transport for London (TfL) announced its decision to issue Uber London Limited (ULL) a two-month private hire operator licence ahead of consideration of any potential further licensing application. The new two-month licence will have the same conditions that ULL has been subject to over the last 15 months, along with new conditions to ensure passenger safety.
TfL’s original decision not to license ULL has led to the app-based firm improving its culture and governance. TfL is requesting additional material from ULL which will help inform any future licensing decision.

New Prime Minister and Heathrow Airport

Siân Berry: Former Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said in 2015 that he would: “lie down in front of those bulldozers and stop the building, stop the construction of that third runway,” at Heathrow Airport. Since Boris Johnson became Prime Minister, I have called on him to stick to this pledge. Have you?

The Mayor: I remain committed to opposing a third runway at Heathrow given the dire environmental impacts that would result, and I continue to challenge the Government’s Airports National Policy Statement through the courts. Permission has been given to appeal the initial decision, with the hearing scheduled for October.
Heathrow already accounts for more than a quarter of all the people exposed to aircraft noise across Europe, and Heathrow’s own analysis has found that half a million people could be newly affected by noise from a third runway. Mine and Transport for London’s responses to the Development Consent Order application put forward by Heathrow Airport Ltd raise our fundamental concerns about the expansion proposals and their impacts, as well as the issues with the underpinning evidence and assumptions.
If the Prime Minister has forgotten why he has spoken out against Heathrow expansion in the past, I am happy to remind him.